


The Plot Thickens

by my_mind_is_racing



Category: House of Anubis
Genre: F/M, Fix It, Sibuna, cut him some slack, jerome is actually trying to get his life together, season 2 divergence, sibuna!jerome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2020-04-06 14:17:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19064371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mind_is_racing/pseuds/my_mind_is_racing
Summary: What would have happened if Jerome joined Sibuna in their race for the mask when Alfie and Patricia did? What would have changed? How would this affect the story? What would have become of him? Would he have changed, too?A collection of drabbles taking place in season two during Sibuna’s quest for the Mask of Anubis, but with one extra member.





	1. We Meet Again

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so this is my first story on this site, so constructive criticism is appreciated! i hope i got each character right, but if you think i didn’t, let me know!! now this won’t exactly be a rewrite considering i don’t have the time, nor the attention span, for that. but instead it will be just a series of drabbles that feature Jerome in Sibuna in chronological order. each drabble will vary in length!!

Jerome inhaled the scent of wet lumber and morning dew as fallen leaves crunch under his feet. The sky was clear and the sun shone beyond the clouds. It was a nice contrast from the rain of yesterday and Jerome felt a sense of disappointment knowing that the summer weather will soon be over. Though, he supposes the withering of fall isn’t the worst alternative, it’s definitely better than the harshness of winter.

The handwritten note –undoubtedly written by Amber if the heart above the i is anything to go by– burns a hole in his pocket as he walks. Flashbacks from last year run through his head; his trouble with Rufus, Joy’s disappearance, the electric flies, and the cup and Victor. He wonders how they could already be so desperate as to invite all of the Sibuna members. He wonders how desperate they must be to invite him. He knows he doesn’t quite have the most respectable reputation and he’s certainly given them reason to doubt in the past. Just the thought that things could already be so bad sends a shiver down his spine. He’d like to think that, when presented with the possibility of danger, he’d be smart enough to keep himself away, but Jerome knows himself. He knows that if it’s even half as bad as last year was he’d never be able to forgive himself if he walked away.

Still, one can only hope that he’s simply worrying over nothing.

Alfie walks beside him as they make their way through the clearing. Seeing as Jerome never went to this so-called “Sibuna Clearing”, his friend offered to show him the way. The former rambles on about whatever mysterious adventure their fellow classmates could have already gotten themselves into. Knowing Nina, it probably found her instead of the other way around. Alfie seems to be excited, ready to put himself out there and get back into action. It almost makes Jerome feel guilty for being hesitant, cautious. Almost.

“There they are!”

Alfie takes off towards a big oak tree and it takes Jerome a second to see Amber, Fabian, and Patricia already waiting for them around it. Idly, he wonders where Nina is, but he pushes the thought away. She’s probably off making progress on whatever quest they’re on now and was unable to spare her time on recap.

“Alfie, you made it!” Amber cheers, going in to hug Alfie out of pure excitement, the latter merrily wrapping his arms around her. They pull apart and the blonde’s eyes go to glare at Jerome in suspicion. “And I see you were able to bring _him_.”

Jerome bites his tongue, reminding himself that it was only sensible of her to be weary of him. He reminds himself that he wants to know what’s going on and upsetting the girl will do him no good.

His best friend sighs, crossing his arms at his girlfriend. “Aw, come on, Amber. You’re the one who invited him.”

“Yeah, Amber,” Fabian frowns at her and she pouts childishly. “Remember what we said; six heads are better than three.”

“I know, I know,” She relents and Jerome supposes that’s the closest he’ll get to an apology. Amber is probably the only person he knows more stubborn than himself.

“Alright then,” Patricia interrupts, staring intently at her friends in anticipation. “So what is this all about?”

Amber shares a look with Fabian, one that worries Jerome more than he thought. They look nervous, hesitant, like they’re still not sure if they made the right decision.

He exhales.

“Before we say anything, we need to know that you all will keep our secret,” Fabian’s eyes wander to Jerome, clearly speaking only to him. “Even if you have no intention of helping. You all need to promise that at least.”

Jerome turns words over in his head, trying to find the right ones to show them that even if they can’t depend on his help, something he’s still mulling over himself, they can trust him to keep their secret. Whatever it may be.

However, before he can do so, Patricia raises her hand to shield one of her eyes. “Sibuna.”

“Sibuna,” The rest of them echo, going to mirror her movements. It is like this that they all look to Jerome and he can just feel their expectations of him, coming to sit directly on his shoulders.

He sighs and does his best to imitate them. “Sibuna,” He bites out, watching as Amber and Fabian heave a breath of relief. “Or whatever.”

“Alright, then, uh…” Amber mumbles, now even more nervous than she was before, if that were possible. “So, we kinda need your guys’ help.”

“Well, I figured as much,” Jerome says, allowing the words to leave his lips without thought.

The girl glares, but takes this as a que to continue. “Okay, well for starters, Fabian, Nina, and I found a whole set of tunnels underneath the school in the cellar–”

“In the cellar?” Patricia questions, doubt written all over her face. “Are you sure? I mean, none of us saw anything like that last term and we spent quite a lot of time down there. We would know, wouldn’t we?”

“Well, if you’d just let me finish, I could explain everything,” This gets Patricia quiet and she signals for her to go on. “The tunnels are behind a bookshelf in the cellar. Above it, there are these weird, snakes on the lining that kind of look like eights. Fabian and Nina tried a bunch of dates when they realizes four of them could be moved. After they put in 1890, the bookshelf moved and they found a hidden study behind it.”

“Why 1890?” This time it was Alfie’s turn to probe as Jerome and Patricia stayed silent, trying to understand as much as they can. Though, to be fair, nothing in this house makes sense.

“It’s when the house was built,” Fabian supplied, to which Alfie mumbled a “right.”

“So what’s so important about this study, then?” Patricia. “Why hide it?”

“Well, it was Robert Frobisher-Smythe’s study, for one thing. And after we did some investigating–”

“Trial and error, might I add,” Amber pointed an accusatory finger his way and Fabian held his hands up in an apologetic manner of surrender.

“Yes, trial and error,” He amended. “Amber found a way behind another shelf in the study that lead to the tunnels’ entrance. Unfortunately, we only realized after Amber got temporarily blinded–”

“So that’s what you sitting on my lap was all about then,” Jerome couldn’t help the laugh that fell from his lips. “You were actually blind?”

“Yes, Jerome, that’s right,” Amber confirmed with a tight-lipped, obviously faux smile. “Like I would actually sit myself on your lap voluntarily.”

Rolling his eyes, along with the rest of them, Jerome ignored the comment in favor of allowing Fabian to continue. “Anyway, after that little twenty-four hour mishap, we figured out that the only way to get past the entrance is by wearing these amulets we found in Robert’s study. Once you get through that, you have to complete tasks preset by Robert in order to make your way through them.” The raven haired boy runs a tired hand down his face as he tries his best not to look at them. Why, Jerome doesn’t know, but it seems that whatever is happening in those tunnels have already began to take a toll on him. “From what we’ve seen so far, each task is harder than the last and we don’t even know how many of them there are in total.”

“Well, is there like a map or something you can use?” Patricia wonders and Amber and Fabian nod. “So, then Robert made blueprints, right?”

“He did, but it’s complete garbage if you ask me,” Amber huffs, hand landing on her hip as her pink lips purse in spitefulness. “It only gives directions, but it’s not like there’s any other way to go other than straight.”

“How many of them have you passed so far?” Alfie asks, hopeful. “Surely, there can’t be too many, right?”

Fabian shrugs, the loll of his shoulders tired and exaggerated. “We’ve only gone through three of them, Alfie. If you count the Frobisher anagram, that is. But, Alfie, if Robert Frobisher-Smythe built a whole system of tunnels to hide this thing, there’s no telling all the lengths he went through to ensure it stays that way. There could be ten, twenty, a hundred, a thousand–”

“I think we’re all ignoring the most obvious questions here, guys,” Jerome cuts Fabian off, walking closer to the middle instead of the sidelines where he’d almost decided to stay. His eyes filter to each of his friends, not settling on one for long. “What exactly is at the end of the tunnel, hm? And why on earth are you all so desperate to find it?”

Alfie and Patricia fall silent as Amber and Fabian chew on their lips nervously. All eyes are on them now, but they shift their weight from foot to foot, their expressions pensive and contemplative. “Well?”

“Supposedly,” Fabian starts, his tone now riddled with apprehension, his eyes bouncing all over in attempt to calm himself down. It’s failing. “The real Mask of Anubis is at the end of the tunnel, after all the tasks are complete. At first, we thought it was tears of gold, the last ingredient for the elixir that Victor and Sweetie were after. Nina and I heard them talking about it in the Frobisher library, and after everything that happened last year… we just couldn’t let them have it.”

“I thought you could only become immortal if you drink it from the cup,” Came Patricia’s remark, though Jerome must admit, he’s as confused as she sounds. “And there’s two problems with that. One; the cup was destroyed, and two; it only happens every twenty-five years. There’s no way they can get what they want now.”

“Well, the thing about the cup is it’s indestructible,” Fabian sighed, settling for sitting himself on a log that Jerome notices is seated perfectly around a barrel in the clearing. “Nina tried to destroy it, but she had to settle for hiding it in the attic. Besides, even if they can’t become immortal right now, they can still keep themselves young long enough to last another twenty-five years until they can perform their ritual again.”

“You really think Victor would do that?” Alfie inquired softly, his voice holding an unbalanced mix of hope and doubt. “I mean, he knows what’ll happen if they do. A life for a life, remember? You think he’d still try again, anyway?”

“I don’t know, Alfie,” Amber concedes, frowning slightly to herself in thought. “But the fact that we even have to ask that question at all is bad enough for me.”

“Agreed,” Patricia assures, walking over to sit beside Fabian, attempting to provide as much comfort as she possibly can.

“Fabian,” Jerome backtracks, his head tilting in thought. “You said ‘at first’... so if that’s not the reason you’re looking for this mask, then why are you?”

Another secretive look is shared between the ringleaders and Jerome is about to probe them, when Fabian finally relents. “You’ll probably think this is crazy, but honestly, nothing we’ve seen is normal, anyway,” Well, at least he got that right, Jerome thinks. They’re way past crazy at this point. “This spirit woman came to Nina in a dream not long after we got back for term. She’s the one who told Nina to get the mask for her. I don’t know why she wants it, but she’s made it very clear that she’ll do anything to get it.”

“What do you mean?” Jerome demands, wondering if this is really something he wants to get involved with. If what Fabian says is true, his self-preservation instincts will short circuit themselves and he can’t promise he won’t be gone before all the dust has even cleared.

“She gave Nina that tattoo. The woman, spirit, whatever she is, touched her arm when she was dreaming and she woke up the next morning with it tattooed in that exact spot.” Again, Fabian looks to Amber and the blonde nods, gesturing for him to go on. With a sigh, Fabian begins pulling up his sleeve, much to Jerome’s confusion. “And… so did I.”

Fabian pulls up his sleeve to reveal an odd, almost geometric spot of ink on his arm. He allows the three of them to come closer for a better look and Patricia reaches out to hold his arms gently. It’s a peculiar tattoo; the face looks almost like a horse or a dog, though Jerome knows it to be the headdresses of the ancient Egyptians, with stripes going down along the sides.

“I’ve already told you, we don’t know who this spirit is, what she wants the mask for, or probably anything else you could ask about her,” Fabian licks his lips nervously and pulls his sleeve back down. He stands back up, but to Jerome’s surprise, he doesn’t appeal to Aflie or Patricia. No, Fabian looks directly at Jerome as if he could read the doubt, the hesitation skipping across his conscience. “But all I know is that if you won’t help us… Nina could die.”

There it is. The bombshell.

Jerome knew it had to be something big, something serious request help from the likes of him. He knows now that they’re taking a risk, telling him all these things. A year ago he either would have called them insane or ratted them in to the teachers. Maybe both. A year ago, he would long since have high-tailed it all the way back to the house and began to plan his next prank. Never, not even for a second, would he have considered helping them if it meant putting himself in harm’s way. Experience has taught him to look out for himself, to always put himself first, because surely no one else will.

But this isn’t a year ago. A year ago he’d never known the fear of being in over his head. He’d never known what it was like to be paranoid, afraid of going outside the safety of his bedroom or of a rustling in the bushes in the house garden. He’d always been one to look over his shoulder, just to make sure he’d gotten away with his latest scheme. But after everything that he went through with Rufus, he’s learned what it’s like to look over his shoulder out of fear for his future, for his life, for the lives of those around him. He has seen and remembered things that the boy from a year ago couldn’t even dream existed.

In many ways he’s the same, but Jerome knows now that the person he was a year ago is long gone and he’s not coming back.

Now, the thought of Nina– the girl who’d helped him last year despite all he’d done to screw things up for them all the while hardly knowing him –dying makes his blood run cold. Though, if he’s really being honest with himself, the thought of any of them dying has the same effect. Could he really walk away from this? Can he really just turn around and leave them to it knowing that if Nina, or any of them, die that it’s his fault? Can he really just turn his back on them knowing that he had the chance to help them and just… didn’t take it?

Jerome may have a reputation to maintain, but those questions keep swimming in his head like an ocean full of doubts.

His conscience has been split in half, divided between doing what’s best for them and what’s best for himself. His gut screams at him to leave while his hearts begs him to stay.

Jerome can feel a decision, but it’s stuck in his throat, the words not quite able to find their way out. Instead, come these. “Would– would we get one of those… mark things?”

“Honestly, Jerome, we’re not for certain,” Fabian admits as guilt flashes across his face. “Though, it doesn’t seem to be likely as Amber still hasn’t gotten one yet in all the time she’s been helping us.”

Amber confirms this with a small nod and a trying smile. At the least, that brings a sliver of comfort.

“Well, I’m in,” Alfie announces, a supporting grin tugging the corners of his lips. “If Nina’s in trouble, I want to help.”

“Me too,” Patricia smirked, causing Amber to cheer and run over to envelop her in a hug. A laugh escapes the tougher girl and the corners of Jerome’s lips itch to lift upward.

Four sets of eyes are on him now, probing, waiting for some kind of response. The worst part was the hope he saw there. Each pair was different.

First came the waves of Fabian. To the blind eye, they’d look perfectly calm, collected, at peace. But Jerome is not the blind eye. After years and years of boarding with these people, he’s come to be able to read each of them like open books. Fabian is no different. Usually, he doesn’t have to try to read him, he has all his feelings out in the open for the most part, he used to have nothing to hide. But ever since he learned the secrets of their house he’s become more secretive and he’s surprisingly good at masking his emotions. Still, it’s not very difficult for Jerome to read between his lines.

They’re afraid. He can see it in the crevices, the darkest corners. He’s afraid and he’s worried about Nina. Of course he would be, Nina means the absolute world to him, it’s not a secret, but they’re hesitant, too. A little curious, not quite sure what Jerome will say, he waits. He waits and he hopes that there’s something left inside Jerome that hasn’t completely rotten. He hopes.

Next is the hailstorm he likes to call Patricia. Another easy one, Patricia’s never been one to hide what she feels. She’s always upfront about what she’s thinking, making sure her voice is heard. Jerome doesn’t mind, it’s always made things easier for him, anyway. Like now, for example, he can see that she wants him to help. Dare he say it even seems like she thinks he might. Out of all the people in front of him, Patricia is probably the one who’s most like him. Snarky, sarcastic, stubborn, sneaky, spiteful. Those are just the s’s, don’t even get him started on pride. Somehow, her surprising belief in him both refreshes and terrifies him.

Meanwhile, he can easily recognize those of his best friend. Alfie’s cinnamon eyes smile at him. They’re persuading him, coaxing him into doing what he knows he can. He’s always doing that; pushing him to be better. Even when he thinks he’s done something wrong, Alfie never judges him. He allows him to make his own decisions, good or bad, and is always there to help him with the fallout– or lack thereof. Sometimes Jerome wishes he wouldn’t, simply because he knows that he won’t be good all the time. He can’t live up to all his expectations of him every time. Jerome thinks he _can_ , but that’s what eats at him; he just _doesn’t_.

And then there was Amber. He doesn’t even need to look to her eyes to know how she feels, it’s written all over her face. She may have nothing against him outside of all this, but he knows she doesn’t trust him with this. He doesn’t blame her, he wouldn’t trust him either if he’s being honest. As much as Jerome would like to think she’s no better than him, he knows that she is. To be fair it doesn’t take much, but still. At least she can say she’s never betrayed her friends. It’s quite obvious that she doesn’t expect him to agree, to give in and selflessly help them with something so reckless and dangerous. Somehow that makes him want to do it more.

“Well?” Came Fabian’s quiet, almost pleading inquiry.

Jerome crosses his arms. There is one more thing he needs to know first. “Answer me this first.”

“Anything.”

“Why?”

A beat. “What?”

Another. “Why do you want _my_ help?” Jerome commands, relieved to finally ask the questions that’ve been plaguing his mind since they slipped him the note this morning. “And more importantly… why do you trust me?”

Words must catch in his throat, for his rebuttal dies on his lips. Fabian stutters, an explanation escaping him, sentence structure failing him. He blinks, as if doing so could vanish the doubt in his mind or help him piece together the perfect string of words and thought out expressions to gain his trust. Jerome sees something flash across his eyes and it’s something Jerome knows all too well.

Contemplation. He can see the very second Fabian considers lying, sugar-coating and bending the truth until it molds into exactly what Jerome wants to hear. Stretching it and sculpting it to fit into exactly what they need to convince him to help them. But Fabian’s smart and he knows Jerome is smarter, even if it’s not quite in the same way. Fabian’s known Jerome for years, he knows that Jerome is an excellent liar and is therefore able to sniff them out like it’s his job. Thankfully, he’s also aware of how awful his own lying is and knows he’d be caught before he’d even begin.

So, Fabian clicks his tongue in frustration and faces Jerome with far more sincerity than he expected. He’s embarrassed to admit it throws him off. “To be completely honest, Jerome, I don’t know. You did betray us last year, or at least tried to, even after all we did to help you and I’m not entirely certain you won’t do it again.” The words finally tumble from his mouth, spilling like waterfalls and Jerome drinks up every word, every truth, even if it’ll sting because he just has to know. “But I saw you last year, you were scared. You were in over your head and you were terrified–”

“–I’m aware, Fabian, I didn’t forget–”

“–I didn’t think you would,” The boy says, seemingly unable to stop himself now, unable to stop the flow of syllables that push past his lips and wander through the space between them. The air somehow seems thicker now, heavy with truth and uncertainty. Jerome thinks he might choke on it. “None of us will probably ever forget what happened last year, I don’t expect you to be the exception. The thing is though, Jerome, I remember more than just how afraid you were, how afraid all of us were.” Fabian’s hitting close to home now and Jerome’s dignity, his pride, is begging him to call it quits, to make him stop, but he can’t. The demand sits on his tongue, but it can’t find it’s way out. He gulps. “I remember what you said when we asked what you wanted in return. It wasn’t favors or IOUs or money, you wanted ‘in’. You said you just wanted to be apart of all of it… you wanted to be a Sibuna–”

“Fabian–”

“–You heard him, Alfie, we all did! And you want to know what being a Sibuna means, Jerome?” It’s rhetoric, Jerome knows, and on any other occasion he’d ignore it and provide an answer anyway, a teasing remark, but not this time. His mouth is snapped shut, almost like it’s been glued closed. Fabian walks up to him now, raw fear, sincerity, and so many other emotions Jerome doesn’t think he could possibly name them all swim in his eyes. His arm twitches, like he wants to touch him, but thinks better of it and instead releases a shaky breath. “It means helping each other. It means being honest and truthful, which I know isn’t quite your thing, but despite the careless, indifferent front you put up, Jerome, I don’t believe you’re incapable of doing that. You’re better than you think you are, but now _you have to prove it_.”

Jerome casts a look around him, behind Fabian to gauge the rest of his classmates. They’re silent, but Jerome knows they’re begging. Just like the boy in front of him they’re pleading, pleading with him to for once in his life do something for somebody else, to put himself second. And a long time ago Jerome promised himself he would never do that again, not as long as his free will was still intact, but here, now, Jerome doesn’t think he can do that anymore.

And he doesn’t think he wants to.

“We can’t decide this for you, buddy, you have to want this for yourself,” Alfie says, not exactly a murmur and yet it still barely reaches Jerome’s ears. It rides the slight breeze over to sit heavy on his shoulders. Jerome resists a shudder.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Amber scoffs, unable to fight a roll of her eyes. “But we need you, Jerome. Nina needs you.”

“We can’t do it without you, slimeball.”

“What do you say, Jerome?” Fabian whispers and it’s now Jerome sees just how low his head hangs, just how tired his blue eyes look and how far his shoulders sag. “Sibuna?”

One by one, the four of them lift their hands to cover one of their eyes, their mouths struggling not to curve into a hopeful grin. For once, Jerome sees no other choice and, hesitantly, he raises his own hand to do the same.

“Sibuna.”


	2. The Initiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait, i’m still not finished writing the entire thing yet, but i figured it was time i update! i don’t have an excuse for why this has been on the back burner, i’ve just been busy with school. enjoy!
> 
> also! this isn’t a rewrite of the entire season! as will be mentioned in one of the chapters, Jerome doesn’t join them every time they go into the basement tunnels because of everything going on with his dad and Poppy! so there will be time between each chapter where things occur that i don’t explicitly write out and chapterize (is that a word?)! but they are all connected and take place soon after each other!

Jerome huffs to himself as he walks the now semi-familiar path to the Sibuna clearing. He’d made sure to remember the way last time in case he needed it, and he’s glad he did as now he doesn’t need Alfie to escort him, but he’s just wondering why he needs it now. Unfortunately, he had to cancel a study session with Mara, and though Jerome never thought he’d be upset about something like that, he’s long since admitted to himself that Jaffray can make anything a hundred times better.    


Fall has now crept up on the school and the breeze has become slightly chillier. Jerome notes this as he pulls his scarf farther up his neck. The shining sun does little to warm him, but he supposes he should be happy he’s not walking out here in the winter.   


Casting another cautious glance around him, last year’s events have made him more paranoid than ever. Jerome gives the watch in his hand a thoughtful squeeze. When Amber had slipped another note into his locker this afternoon asking him to bring an important possession of his to the clearing later today, he was a little suspicious. Still, he decided to oblige, not  _ too _ much could go wrong, almost bringing with him a favorite picture of him and Poppy. It’s pretty old, a bit tattered and folded around the edges, but Poppy is smiling so bright in it that he was never able to throw it away. However, before he could make his escape, Alfie managed to catch him and advised against it, instead telling him that he might want to bring something just a little less…  _ valuable _ , for whatever reason Jerome doesn’t want to know. 

“Jerome,” Alfie begins to cheer when he finally arrives, slugging him playfully in his shoulder. “You made it, buddy!”

“We were worried you got lost for a minute there,” Nina nods to him in acknowledgment. 

Jerome shakes his head, his usual smirk playing on his lips. “Nope, not today.”

“But you have lost your mind if you think that scarf compliments your skin tone, yikes,” Amber mutters, pulling a face which causes Jerome to scoff. 

“Well, Amber, speaking of lost things,” Jerome smiles sweetly, but his housemates know better than to take it as so. “Have you found your dignity since that breakup you and Alfie here had? Or do I need to start putting up wanted posters?”

“We did  _ not  _ breakup—”

“—Yes we  _ did _ !”

“It’s not over until I say it’s over!”

A smile pulls at Jerome’s lips at the chaos he caused, admiring his handiwork. Though, Fabian seems to have other thoughts, if the way he sends him a condescending look is of any indication. 

Jerome shrugs and runs a hand through his hair. “So, what is this all about, then, hm? I had to cancel my plans—”

“Oh yeah, you were going to study with Mara, ri—”

“ _ Anyway _ ,” He cuts his friend off before he can go spilling all his secrets. “Why did you lot call me here again?”

They all look to Nina who offers Jerome a warm smile. “Well, we have this sort of initiation ceremony that you have to go through to be an official Sibuna member and after all your help in the tunnels yesterday we thought it’s about time we hold yours.”

“Wait,” His tongue darts out to lick his lips and his arms cross over his chest. “So, you brought me here, in the middle of the woods, after a night  _ without sleep, _ just to give me official membership in the Scooby Gang?”

“...Yes?” Nina ventures, to which everyone else nods in agreement. 

“Oh, and you have to burn something!” Amber grins with a flip of her blonde hair. 

“I have to  _ what _ ?”  


“Well, it’s tradition, silly,” She remarks like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Putting a hand on her hip, he clicks his tongue as she goes to explain. “Part of the initiation ceremony is that the person who is being initiated must toss something with sentimental value into the fire to show their dedication to the group.”

“Well, what did you throw into the fire then?”

A hand falls onto Amber’s chest and her blue eyes gloss over wistfully. “One of the best portraits I’ve ever had, which was extremely impressive, I’ll have you know.”

“I threw in my jester’s hat,” Alfie sighs, looking over to the fire with sorrow, still upset about the burning of his favorite hat.

“Yeah, I threw in my lucky charm that Gran gave me, Patricia burned a picture of her and Joy, and Fabian…” Nina trailed off, sparing Fabian an apologetic look. “Well, anyway, it was a sacrifice, which is exactly what it has to be.”

“But  _ why _ ?”

“We’ve already told you, weasel,” Patricia groaned and gestured to the barrel that they’ve come to form a circle around. “So, are you going to do it or not?”

An answer is on the tip of his tongue when Amber speaks instead. “It’s sacred, Jerome.” She claims without batting an eyelash, looking at him as if this were more than just a meet-up between teenage boarding school students. To be fair, after everything that they’ve seen, he can safely say that it is. “It’s tradition and you  _ can’t _ break tradition. It just doesn’t happen.”

Jerome heaved a heavy sigh and peered down at the watch in his hand. His uncle had given it to him before his first year at boarding school and it might not be the fanciest accessory, but he’s kept up with it this whole time and would hate to see it go. If he had known this is what they were up to, he would have brought something a little less valuable. Though, he supposes he is grateful Alfie had managed to convince him not to take the picture of him and Poppy. There was no way he would have burnt that, Sibuna be damned. 

His eyes jump from person to person, each of whom looking at him expectantly. With a hesitant and dubious nod, Amber claps excitedly and takes out a match box from her bag. Jerome tightens his hold on his watch, attempting the savor his last moments with the thing before it goes up flames. 

“Okay, everyone, we are gathered here today to celebrate the official integration of Jerome Clarke into our secret ranks,” Nina grins, flashing her perfect set of pearly whites in everyone’s direction. Jerome holds back a scoff at the dramatics, assuming it would not blow over too well. Besides, he’s the king of dramatics and something he hates more than anything is a hypocrite. “Jerome, you may now offer your sacrifice.”

“You know for the record, I still think this is entirely unnecessary,” He tries one last time, but the five of them offer him unimpressed looks and groans. “Ugh, fine.”

Whispering a wordless goodbye, Jerome reluctantly tosses the watch into the fire, watching as the flames immediately lick the air and space around it. He continues to watch for only a few moments before the image becomes too much and a grimace makes its way onto his face. Everyone else remains silent as the fire moves across his watch, waiting until it’s mostly melted to speak again.   


“Okay, you have made your sacrifice, now raise your hand,” Amber orders and Jerome obeys with a roll of his eyes. “Now repeat after me: I, Jerome Clarke, being of sound heart and mind…” 

Another eye roll. “I, Jerome Clarke, being of sound heart and mind…” 

“Promise to protect the secrets of Anubis House…” 

“Promise to protect the secrets of Anubis House…” 

“And stand by my fellow club members; Nina Martin, Fabian Rutter, Amber Millington, Patricia Williamson, and Alfie Lewis.”

He throws his head back impatiently, but does as he’s told. “And stand by my fellow club members; Nina Martin, Fabian Rutter, Amber Millington, Patricia Williamson, and Alfie Lewis.”

Smiles erupt over all their faces as Nina spreads her arms out in a gesture to all of them. Jerome does his best to look her in the eye over the fire between them. “These are our sacred vows. Let no man or woman tear them asunder.”

“Sibuna,” They say in unison, raising their left hands to cover their eyes, motioning for Jerome to do the same, which he does so with a fake pout.  

After a beat, Alfie glides over to clap the taller boy on the shoulder. “Congratulations, buddy,” He can’t contain his laughter, the guy is practically buzzing where he stands. Though, even if he’d never say it aloud, Jerome can’t deny that his excitement makes a small, almost undetectable warmth bloom in his chest. “You’re one of us now; an official Sibuna member!”

“Oh, yippy,” Jerome jests, shaking his hands in faux celebration. “Dangerous quests, life threatening tasks, suspicious housekeepers, and evil men with deadly electric flies! What fun!”

Alfie’s face falls and Amber huffs, muttering something under her breath, but Nina, Fabian, and Patricia laugh at his remark, knowing full well it’s a perfect description. 

“Hey! You forgot disappearing students!”

“Oh, yes, thank you, Patricia,” Jerome mocks, but there’s an undercurrent of fondness in the way he jokes with them now, one that Jerome isn’t sure was there before. “How could I forget?”

If someone were to be listening to them on their way back, all they would hear is a chorus of laughter and affectionate banter between the  _ six _ of them. 


	3. The Chasm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i’m on a hoa s2 binge right now and decided that maybe there are a few other scenes i could have added before the one in chapter two 
> 
> this chapter, for example, takes place before chapter two. enjoy!

Somehow, the cellar looks emptier than he remembers. 

He can remember everything like it was yesterday. The prom, the flies, Rufus, Alfie, Nina and the cup, her locket, Joy. It feels a little surreal being back down here. After that night he promised himself he never would, but things change he supposes. 

It’s weird. 

Everything looks exactly the same yet it feels like a lifetime ago that he was just a normal student in the house. Completely unaware of all that was hidden inside, and now below, that he has to worry about. He idly wonders what it would be like to go back to that, a normal life. 

He shakes his head to rid himself of the thought. No use in wondering. Things are different now and he knows everything. Though, he’s not quite sure if he’d even want to go back if he could. 

“Hate to be that guy,” He whispers, having taken more than enough time just wandering about the dusty cellar. “But are we going to get across an endless chasm or can I get back to bed?”

This earns an eye roll from both Nina and Fabian, but the former walks over to an old bookshelf anyway. Pushing up onto her toes, she messes with the framework on the top and then a locking sound is heard. Then all he hears is the echo of scraping concrete and suddenly it’s not a bookshelf at all. 

“Ladies first,” Nina smiles as Amber and Patricia make their way inside what looks to be an old study. 

The boys are quick to follow and Jerome has to refrain from gaging with the amount of dust and cobwebs that threaten to fall from the ceiling as the door shuts behind him. Alfie, on the other hand, is unable to do the same.

“Okay, this place needs some serious touching up,” The other boy grimaces as his eyes take in the place. “I mean, how long has this place been sitting here?”

 

Fabian shrugs, walking across the modest expanse to where a painting of Frobisher hangs on the wall, almost as if he’s watching them still. It very nearly sends a shiver down his spine. “Likely since his death, Alfie.”

“Yeah, okay,” Patricia interrupts, clearly having also grown tired of looking around. “So the place isn’t exactly pretty, but focus people. We’re not here to give the room a makeover.”

“Even if it sorely needs one,” Amber winces as she swipes a string of dust off Jerome’s shoulder. 

Nina and Fabian begin to gather up amulets that hung behind the portrait and pass them out to each of them. “Patricia’s right,” Nina claims as she hands Jerome the final amulet, an odd carving of what Jerome wants to say is a snake, pictured in the small stone. “Even though I still don’t think involving everyone was the best idea… it doesn’t matter now. We have a job to do.”

Amber, Nina, and Fabian go to put their amulets on and the rest of them follow suit. 

The next few minutes are a bit of a blur. It’s so similar to the adventure movies he’d watch as a kid, if Jerome didn’t know any better he’d think himself dreaming. Unfortunately, he does know better and this tunnels are no dream. 

They are very very real. 

After a bit of bright light and the weirdest looking hopscotch game he’s ever seen, the six of them finally come across the chasm. 

Jerome has to admit, he would not particularly like falling down that rabbit hole. 

“Woah,” Patricia whistles, being careful not to lean too far over the chasm. “So, how is this going to work?”

Fabian gestures simply to the long, thin slab of concrete lying in the middle of the floor. “Well, instead of trying to kill ourselves lifting it, we’re gonna push it.”

“Genius,” Alfie laments, clearly just as thrilled with the idea as Jerome is.

“Uh, Fabian,” Jerome ponders, eyebrows knitted in confusion. “How exactly do you purpose we do that? Won’t the thing just fall in?”

“I’ve thought of that,” The raven haired boy digs into his pockets to pull out a rather thick string of rope. Without another word, he leans down to start typing it to their makeshift bridge. He looks up long enough to point across the chasm to what seems to be a tin ledge on the other side. “Now, the beam is only long enough if it rests on that point there and we cannot risk missing.”

“And you think you’re strong enough for that?” Patricia asks, unimpressed. 

“He’s been doing pushups,” Amber supplies as way of explanation. 

“Oh, great. Wonderful!” Jerome drawls, his tone laced in sarcasm. “Why didn’t you say so, Amber? We might as well stand back and leave all the heavy lifting to Fabian!”

The other blonde scoffs, clicking his tongue with a tsk. “Rude.”

With a pointed look from Nina and elbow from Alfie, Jerome sighs and bends to help them push. If he dies here, he’ll haunt them from his grave. 

Fabian is the only one left standing and he takes some deep breaths. “Now, when I say go, you push and I pull,” A chorus of agreements and affirmations sound from the five on the floor and Fabian nods his head. “Ready? Go!”

Immediately they all start pushing as hard as they can. Grunts and groans fall from their lips and Jerome grits his teeth so hard he feels the clenching in his jaw. Fabian does his best from up top, pulling so hard his knuckles turn white. 

“That’s good! Keep going!” He shouts amidst the chaos, nearly gasping for breath from the exertion. “Now just one more, to the right! To the right!” 

Doing as their told, the group on the floor all push just a little to the right. It seems to work but Fabian fumbles atop of them, his grip on the rope slips and his feet slide just a bit too far. 

“Fabian!” Nina shouts, sticking one arm out to grab onto his arm. 

A shriek is heard from Amber and a “be careful” is thrown from Patricia. But Fabian’s unbalanced, his feet slide off the end of the chasm, ready to fall down into it. From beside him, Alfie abandons his pushing to reach out and catch Fabian around the torso. The beam quivers, leaning forward towards the dark abyss and on instinct Jerome grabs at Alfie part of the string and pushes with all his might, trying desperately not to let it fall. 

He can’t hear anything now, everybody is talking- yelling -at once. Alfie pulls Fabian back and the rest of them go to mimic him, pulling the beam back onto the solid stone. 

Hard, labored breaths leave everyone’s mouth and Fabian hangs his head in shame. Jerome himself presses a hand to his temple, almost positive his chances for a peaceful few hours of sleep have been ruined for the night. 

His heart races. 

They could have lost Fabian.

Suddenly, he feels as though he might be sick. 

Alfie rubs at Fabian’s back, making sure the teen is okay. Nina sees this and turns to look at them all. 

“Hey, don’t worry, guys. We’ll figure something out,” He shares a look with Patricia to his left who appears to be just as shaken and unconvinced as he is. “We’ll practice and get it next time. We’re Sibuna, right?”

Amber nods enthusiastically and Patricia attempts a trying smile. Alfie sends her and thumbs up while Fabian nods lamely. Jerome doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything. 

Is he a Sibuna? From what Alfie’s told him, they’re very particular about who they choose to recruit to this little club. Sure, they’ve asked him to join them and perhaps they’re beginning to trust him again, but is he really one of them? 

“Sibuna?” Nina asks, lifting her hand in their trademark eye gesture. 

“Sibuna!” The others echo, mirroring her actions. All except Jerome, who isn’t quite sure where he stands with them. 

But what he doesn’t see is how his doubt catches Nina’s eye. She frowns, a small serving of guilt swimming in her conscience.

~✦~

“Sorry, I’m late,” Jerome huffs, sliding into the dusty study with his eyes planted firmly at his feet. “I was preoccupied with a phone call.”

“Why couldn’t you make it to the clearing earlier?” Amber asked, hand on her hip. “It was very important.”

“I was out.”

“With who? Mara?”

“Yes, actually, I was—”

“So she’s more important to you than we are?”

“I never—”

“If you’re not serious about this Jerome, then—”

“I was meeting my dad!” Jerome shouts and immediately recoils. 

Great. Now he’d gone and spilled all his business. They’re going to look at him different, they won’t trust him anymore, they’ll—

“Your dad?” Alfie repeats slowly, tentatively, as if afraid of setting him off. “You’ve never talked about him before.”

Jerome nods and his teeth dig gently into his bottom lip. “Well, you know how it goes. If you don’t have anything nice to say…” 

It went quiet for a moment. Everything felt heavier, the air, the atmosphere. He took deep breaths but it didn’t help. He’d gotten so good at hiding his emotions, he almost forgot what it felt like to have them so plainly and blatantly out in the open. His heart hammered in his ears and his chest began to burn. His face felt really hot and he swore his throat began to close up. 

It hurt just as much as he remembered. He should have known. 

“Jerome,” Nina. Her voice sounded as if she was right beside him. A small hand clasped his shoulder. A chill ran down his spine. He shivered. “Jerome, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell us anything. If there’s one thing that’s always complicated, it’s family.” 

He nods, but he’s not sure why, they can barely see him anyway. Still, the action gives him a sliver of peace of mind. 

The sound of clicking heels follows Nina over to where they stand. He blinks and Millington is in front of him, a look of concern and apology tugging her lips downward. Hesitantly, she reaches out to delicately wrap her hand around his arm and rubs soothing circles into the skin there. 

“I’m sorry, Jerome,” She says, sparkling blue eyes riddled with kindness and remorse, dare he say something akin to forgiveness. “I overstepped. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.”

“Yeah, buddy,” Alfie pipes up, a supporting smile pulling his lips apart. “We’re all friends, here. We hope everything went well.”

“Sorry, Jerome,” Fabian whispers softly. “We didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Family is definitely a grey area,” Patricia adds, almost like she understands. “That’s on us, dude. It won’t happen again.”

He looks at them and for once, he doesn’t doubt their sincerity. For the first time in a long while, Jerome feels that these people before him actually care about him. His health, his well being, his troubles, for once he feels they actually matter to someone more than Mara. 

And while she does mean the world to him… the whole Mick and Mara thing has left him feeling a bit uneasy. The last time he dared to hope he had a chance… well he found out the most painful way possible that he was sorely mistaken. 

So before he even registers he’s speaking, he hears his own voice announce, “He’s in prison.”

They don't speak. No one interrupts him or asks questions, they just let him say what he has to say. And for once he finally feels like he can. “It’s been more than ten years since I’ve seen or heard from him and all of a sudden he reaches out. Starts sending letters and Poppy doesn’t remember him, how broken he was before he dumped here, a five-year-old boy all alone.”

“I almost didn’t go. I… didn’t know if I could handle seeing him again, in a prison of all places. Mara convinced me to go. She’s the only one who knows, I didn’t even tell Poppy I was going. She went with me today and I just…” 

“It’s okay, dude,” Alfie tells him and by God, Jerome thinks he means it. “Deep breaths.”

Jerome inhales cautiously, willing the ringing in his ears to go away. “He’s nothing like I remember, not that it’s much, but still. I don’t even know why I’m telling you lot, but I don’t know. I guess going on potentially death defying adventures with people have a way of bringing secrets out.”

“Looks like miracles do happen everyday,” Patricia jests and it almost gets a laugh out of him. 

“I’m glad you told us, Jerome,” Fabian smiles, careful not to speak too loudly like he’s afraid to scare away the peace settling in around them. “It means a lot. And don’t worry about missing trips down here or brainstorming sessions or anything else if you’re visiting him. We don’t want to get in the way of that.” 

“You’re one of us now, Jerome,” Nina promises and for whatever reason, he’s still not sure, he believes her. “And we’re glad you feel that you can tell us.”

Really, he’s not sure what to say. He’s not even sure if he knows what it is he’s feeling right now, but it brings a small, infinitesimal little warmth to his chest where he thinks he left his heart. Somehow, it’s down here in this ancient and forgotten study that he feels he belongs with these people. 

So he decides to settle for a simple, “Me too.”

Later that night, after finally making a bridge across the chasm only to be stopped by swinging decorative knives, Jerome sits in his bed with the tiniest of smiles on his face. And right before he slips into sleep, he wonders if maybe he isn’t so worthless after all.


	4. The Black Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yep, here we go again. this was a rather quick write, so I figured I’d post it now. enjoy!

It started out fairly normal if Jerome was being honest.

It was free period, probably Thursday, and he was draped across the couch in the drama room. The light streamed in through the windows to provide a golden glow and the day was fairly bright and sunny. On the chair to his left sat Alfie, then on his left Amber, and Patricia, and Nina and Fabian all around to Jerome’s right. They were seated around one another in a circle. 

They had been discussing how to get past the dead end in passage way, but soon him and Alfie began to joke, and Patricia and Amber couldn’t contain their laughter at their ridiculous puns and humor. Eventually, Nina and Fabian gave in and allowed them all to take a break from brainstorming. Before he knew it, time began to pass and their chorus of laughter echoed in his ears like an old favorite song. 

It was nice. To feel like he belonged. 

Even if he’d quite literally drop dead if the rest of them ever found out. 

Suddenly, after a rather dull and academic joke from Fabian— that was still able to earn a laugh from Nina and playful remarks from himself and Alfie —his watch beeped, signaling that it was time for him to meet Mara in the courtyard so they could walk over together and visit his dad. 

However, he didn’t make it seven steps out the door before he collided with something solid. It was a bit of a blur, but if the strangely familiar and feminine squeak was anything to go by, he suspects it was a person. 

On instinct, he reaches out to steady them and looks down at the poor soul he’d run into. Fortunately for him, it was just the girl he was looking for. 

“Woah, Jaffray,” He teases, a smirk already spreading across his face and his hand resting gently on her bicep. “It some spelling bee going on that I don’t know about?”

“Ha ha,” Mara huffs but isn’t quite able to hide the fond smile that betrays her. “Very funny, Jerome. No, I was looking for you actually.”

“Right. Thanks again for coming with me, Mara,” Looking around— mainly to hide the blush he can feel on his cheeks —he points behind him to the path they took last time. “You fancy heading over now?”

She hesitates. It’s only a split second, but Jerome notices. Of course he does… it’s Mara. “Sure, let’s go.”

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“Don’t lie to me, Mara,” Jerome sighs, arching an eyebrow down at her. “You know I can tell when you are.”

Her face falls slightly and she looks around briefly to see if anyone could be around to hear them. After deeming the area safe, she says, “I just think you should tell Poppy is all. I don’t like lying to her.”

“Technically it’s not lying, it’s just not telling the whole truth.”

“That’s lying.”

Jerome nods, knowing she’s right. He runs a tired hand down his face. “Look, I don’t like lying to her, either. I hate it, but I don’t want her getting attached to that man until I know for absolutely certain that he’s someone worth getting attached to. I just don’t want her to be hurt or disappointed if he’s not all she’s made him out to be.”

On any other day, Mara would have gone on. She would have lectured him, albeit kindly, on allowing Poppy to make her own choices and the value of truth. She didn’t this time, though. 

No, instead when he bows his head in shame, she reaches out to him. Her small, warm hand reaches out to cup his cheek. 

The touch surprises him and he jumps back, caught off guard. Mara looks back at him, a little bashful in the wake of what she’d just done and a little scared that she’d made a mistake. 

But she swallows that fear and takes a step forward. And, going slowly so as to give him the chance to stop her should he wish to, she raises her hand again. He lets her, eyes wide and searching for the meaning behind her actions. This time, when her hand grazes his cheek, Jerome allows himself to lean into it. 

She smiles at him, a little sadly, but entirely genuine. 

Something in Jerome’s chest skips and he feels the touch of her warm hand all the way down to his toes. His whole body feels warm now, nervous but excited at this new development. 

Truth be told, he’s not quite sure who leaned in first. All he knows is that one second he was lost in her eyes and the next he was gasping against her lips. 

Just as he began to realize what was happening, that he was finally kissing Mara Jaffray, she pulled away. 

Jerome’s eyes opened back up slowly, greeted by the sight of someone that definitely was not Mara. 

She was pale. So pale, Jerome briefly considers that she might be dead. And her hair just looks like a puff of black smoke, much like the rest of her body. Her eyes bleed like runny ink and a silver crown, somehow eerily familiar, wraps gingerly around her forehead. 

He goes to run, but suddenly he can’t move. His feet are stuck to the ground and he’s left grasping helplessly for air. 

The woman nears him, a wicked, malicious grin splitting her mouth apart. “Where are you running to, Jerome?” She says, but immediately he knows that the voice pulled from her throat isn’t hers. It’s Mara’s. 

“Leave me alone!”

“Find the mask, Jerome!” She shouts, and this time it’s definitely her own voice and it reverberates hauntingly in his ears. “Or forfeit your life!”

He tries to scream but no sound comes out and the ghost woman finally reaches him, reaching out to push at his chest. 

The place where her hand had touched him burns as he falls back, like a hot iron and lit coals. His back breaks through ground and he falls into a dark hole with no end. 

He tries again to scream, for help or just instinct, he isn’t sure. But again his voice fails him. 

He rubs at the burn mark on his chest. 

He falls.


	5. The Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! hope you all enjoy this chapter! I actually wrote this before the last one so I had to edit it a bit but I plan to write some more this weekend!

His skin is hot. 

His chest tingles all over, like little pinpricks. Jerome feels like he’s being used as a pincushion. He resists his urge to rub at it, like washable markers that come off if you scrub hard enough, but he knows it’s hopeless. Whatever that spirit did, she did it well, because the mark that he saw on Fabian’s arm now sits directly above his collarbone and it’s not coming off. To be quite honest, he already tried. It’s practically a tattoo, much to his dismay. 

Jerome goes to check his shirt for the thousandth time that day, making sure that for once his buttons were buttoned all the way up. 

He remembers waking up this morning to see it in the mirror. At first it burned, like it had been branded on his skin with a hot iron and it woke him up from a dream he can barely recall. All he can remember is a woman. A woman who looked like the personification of death, but with a pretty crown sat upon her head. 

Jerome can still see her face whenever he closes his eyes. 

He woke up then and immediately went to check the mirror when he felt something singe his chest. That’s when he saw the mark.

It was just as he remembered it, the black ink staring back at him, mocking him. It was only a moment until Alfie sat up in his bed, waking with a scream, and pulling his pajamas to check his ankle. When Alfie looked up to him, his eyes as terrified as he’s sure his was, he knew it wasn’t just a dream. 

“Jerome?”

At the call of his name, Jerome turns, more instinct than actual curiosity. Mara stood there, frowning up at him. 

“Aw, Jaffray,” He teased, curling a piece of her straightened hair around his finger momentarily. “Don’t frown like that, you know what Millington would say.”

“What?”

“It causes wrinkles,” He chuckles at his own joke, but Mara simply shoves at his shoulder with a fond roll of her doe eyes.   


_ The stairs creak under his weight as he bounds up towards Nina and Amber’s room, Fabian and Alfie right behind him. However, the door is already open when they get there and Nina, Amber, and Patricia are standing around, also still in their pajamas, and Nina seems to be trying to calm them down. But if the way her own breathing seems a little ragged is of any indication, then Jerome thinks it doesn’t appear to be working.  _

_ “I am so  _ so _ sorry, guys,” She says to them, her voice shaky and defeated. “I never wanted this for any of you, it’s why I didn’t want you to get involved. Now you’re all at risk and I have no one to blame, but myself because I let you and—” _

_ “Nina!” Jerome interrupts, deciding that he’s heard enough and plows straight into their room. The girl in question turns to him, not quite as shocked to see him and the other boys as one would expect. “What is going on here?”  
_

_ “I’ve just acquired a freaky tat overnight!” Alfie exclaims, pulling up the leg of his pants to show them. “And it’s not even cool! If I were going to get a tattoo I would have picked something much cooler like, I don’t know, a fire-breathing dragon, maybe?!” _

_ “Not my name?” _

_ “We broke up!” _

_ “Yeah, well, get in line, then,” Patricia quipps, pulling her sleeve up slightly to show them the identical one on her wrist.  _

_ “Amber,” Jerome pipes up, his eyes drawn to a dark spot on her ankle. “Did you get one, too?” _

_ The teen nods, pulling her sock down to reveal the same tattoo in the exact spot where Alfie’s had appeared. Nina lets out a small noise of panic with something akin to distress. Her head falls into her hands as Fabian walks around him to take a closer look at it.  _

_ Fabian sighs, though he seems to be handling it a little bit better than his other half, who has now succumbed to pacing the expanse of her room. “So, you guys have one, too?” _

_ “Yeah… wait a minute,” Alfie objects, pointing an accusatory finger Nina’s way. The finger shifts between her and Fabian as he squints at them. “Where’s your tattoo, huh?” _

_ “Fabian got his a few weeks after I got mine,” She reveals, pulling her own sleeve up to show them hers, sure enough located in a similar spot to Fabian’s, if not the exact same.  _

_ “Well, what do they mean?” _

“Actually, Jerome,” Mara mumbles as he fishes in his locker for his French textbook. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

Jerome frowns. “Talk to me about what?”

“Well,” She blushes faintly now, her eyes suddenly sticking to her feet at she plays with the hem of her skirt. “You’ve been, uh— you’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately.”

“Them?”

“You know,” Mara pushes. Jerome finally finds what he was looking for and closes his locker. Naturally, he falls into step beside the smaller girl and they make their way to class. “Amber, Nina, Fabian… Patricia. Them.”

“Yes, indeed, I have, Mara. Thanks for noticing,” He flashes her with that charming smile of his that he’s really only half certain works. If it did, Mara would have fallen for it a long time ago. Or maybe his studious friend is just immune.

“Why?” She questions, and Jerome peers down at her with a delicately arched eyebrow. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

Throwing a curious stare down towards her, Jerome falters upon seeing her expectant look, eager for an explanation. He sighs, knowing that he can’t deny her anything she asks for. He can’t tell her the truth though, not only would that put her at risk, but he’s sworn secrecy. Usually that’s not something that he really cares about, but for some reason, Jerome feels that this time is different. 

Surprisingly enough, he likes being and feeling trusted. They trust him now. This time he isn’t just going to throw that away. 

“Well, Jaffray, if you must know…” Instinctively, she inches toward him. The anticipation of the moment right before a secret is spilled stretches around them and Jerome looks around for prying eyes and ears. “They found out about my dad.”

_ Silence envelops all around them like a thick blanket in the winter. The conclusion of Nina and Fabian’s theory hanging heavy around them.  _

_ They could die. They could die, too.  _

_ What is he supposed to do about Poppy? Who is going to look after her if he dies? Who’s going to make sure she eats her vegetables and plays nice and does her homework? Who’s going to make sure she ends up better than her big brother did?  _

_ And what about his dad? Who’s going to help Poppy get him out of prison? Who’s going to tell him that— despite what he wanted at first and despite what he told himself —his son loved him? That he wanted more than anything to just start over, cast the few horrid memories that he has of him away and make new ones. Who’s going to tell him that he tried? Tried to raise Poppy the way their mother should have, the way he wasn’t. Tried with his last dying breath just to make his father proud…  _

_ “Do you have one?” _

_ His ocean orbs flicker over to Nina’s round ones then, the origin of his thoughts’ interruption. It’s a sea of blue and green and Jerome is sure that if someone looked hard enough they could drown in them. Slowly, five more sets of eyes follow suit and soon enough, they’re all looking to him, waiting for an answer. Jerome wishes he had a better one to give them.  _

_ Without word, he tugs at the collar of his t-shirt, exposing his collarbone where he knew the mark to be sitting. A string of sighs and disappointed grimaces fill the room and Jerome doesn’t think he’s ever related to them more.  _

_ “Jerome,” Nina whines, directly in front of him now with one of the most guilty expressions Jerome has ever seen. Sadly enough, he can’t even say it looks strange on her face, for it seems to accompany Nina hand-in-hand these days. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault—” _

_ “Nina, don’t say tha—” _

_ “Well, it’s true, Fabian!” The girl argues with a waver to her voice that she knows doesn’t go unnoticed. “What about his sister, hm? What’s going to happen to her if her brother dies?” Nina echos his thoughts back to him, the sound soft but scraping, bouncing off the walls of her dorm. “Some girl might lose her big brother just because I couldn’t figure this out fast enough!” _

_ “Just because  _ we  _ couldn’t figure this out fast enough,” Fabian corrects her. Nina releases a shaky breath and sinks onto her bed. The raven-haired boy walks over to press himself gently into the vacant spot next to her. Her response is immediate, natural, and her head goes to lean on his shoulder as his arm wraps to rub up and down her side in comfort.  _

_ “Look,” Fabian begins after another moment of silence, the other four of them in the room not daring to speak out, the thought of ruining the tiny fraction of tranquility amidst this chaos like bile in their throats. “No matter what you may think, Nina, the blame isn’t entirely on you. We all knew the risks when we signed up for this, you didn’t force us into any decision or dangerous situation. Besides,” His head lifts to smile sadly at all of them surrounding him, a lop-sided, melancholic grin that gets under Jerome’s skin more than he’d like to admit. “We’re all in this together.” _

_ On any other instance, Jerome would have pointed fingers and placed blame anywhere that was convenient. There would have been no hesitance whatsoever to sneer in their faces, guilt them for putting him in any degree of harm’s way and made off towards the exit before they could even blink. The instinct was there, too. It was like a dull, barely audible voice in the back of his head, telling him to get out of there while there’s still time.  _

_ But he didn’t. He didn’t because he couldn’t. He didn’t know what it was exactly, but something about this moment right here wasn’t like the others. Unlike all the times before, when someone has depended on him and given him enough of their trust to get away with, Jerome finds his feet firmly planted on the ground. It was like they had grown roots and refused to move until this problem of theirs was solved. Until he could at least convince Nina that everything would be okay.  _

_ For once, Jerome not only finds the blame solely on his own shoulders, but he doesn’t mind admitting it… at least to himself.   
_

“About your dad?” Mara repeats, confusion painting her face like blush. She ponders this for only a second before a light bulb seems to go off above her head. Mimicking him, she looks around before gently taking a small fistfull of his sweater and pulling him into an empty alcove in the hallway. 

“You mean about him being in prison?” She asks and Jerome provides her with a tired nod. “How did that happen?”

“Alfie found a letter he sent me the other day and apparently mistook it for his when Vera sent it to our room,” He surmised, lying straight through his teeth. 

It isn’t a complete lie, but he still doesn’t like the way it sits on his tongue. 

Or maybe he just doesn’t like lying to Mara. 

He doesn’t enjoy hiding the truth from Mara. In all honesty, he hates lying to Mara the most. Maybe because he knows she never lies to him or maybe it just comes with this trusting others thing he’s still trying to get a handle on. He’s not really sure which. 

“Well, how did the others find out about it?”

Jerome fists his hands in his pockets, rolling on the balls of his feet. “I’m not quite sure to be honest. I think he just slipped up and had it out in front of them or something like that, you know how Alfie is.”

“Oh, Jerome,” Mara frowns, wrapping her small hand dejectedly around his wrist. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted that to stay a secret.”

He shrugs, trying hard not to stare at where her hand is still wrapped around his wrist. He tries to ignore how warm her hand is and how her fingers are barely able to wrap all the way around. 

He tries not to smile. 

“It’s not a big deal, Mara,” He replies easily enough, deciding to make his other hand useful by adjusting the strap on his bag. “Yeah, I wanted to keep it to myself a bit longer, but it was bound to get out eventually. Though, now I do have to deal with the rest of them always checking up on me, making sure I’m okay and not up to any not-so-legal activities.”

A chuckle escapes her then and she ducks her head shyly. “Well, that’s nice of them at least, right? It’s good that they care, isn’t it?”

“I assume you’re not looking for an ‘I don’t care’...” 

Mara laughs with a shake of her head. ”You would be correct.” A moment passes where Jerome doesn’t say anything and she sighs. “Look, Jerome, if you ever need to talk without all of their…  _ mannerisms _ , you know you can always just come to me, right?”

A reassurement sits on the tip of his tongue, but he swallows it. His perfect eyebrow arches at her, a smirk pulling the corners of his mouth. “You aren’t jealous, are you, Jaffray?”

“What? No, of course not!” She splutters and Jerome, being well versed in the art of lies and manipulation, sees straight through it. This time he doesn’t even try to fight off his smile. 

“Really?” She nods and he looks down to where her hand is still holding his wrist. “Then can I have my arm back?”

Mara seems to just realize what she’d been doing this whole time and retracts her hand like he burned her. Jerome fights not to laugh, her rosy cheeks far too cute than what’s fair. 

He’s about to make another remark when her watch beeps, drawing both of their attention. “Oh no, we’re going to be late! We should get going!”

“After you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading guys and let me know what you think!


End file.
